The present disclosure relates to a secure modular enclosure for open-top vehicles.
Many automotive and outdoor enthusiasts enjoy vehicles with an open top or soft top, such as a Jeep Wrangler®, Hummer®, or another all-terrain vehicle. However, these vehicles do not provide secure storage, due to the openness of their storage areas. Past solutions for providing secure storage or weather protection include a hard shell covering the interior of the vehicle, but these solutions negate the advantages of an open-top vehicle.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an enclosure for the storage area of such open-top vehicles, while allowing the passenger compartment of the vehicle to remain open; however, the open nature of the storage areas of open-top vehicles presents unique challenges not in other storage enclosures or trunks of enclosed vehicles. Existing enclosures to the storage areas of open-top vehicles are inadequate as they are not secure, not adaptable to varying sized cargo, are not sufficiently strong to support items on top of the enclosure, and not adaptable to various vehicles. For example, some existing enclosures do not securely cover the entirety of the storage area, so that items within the enclosure can be accessed from the outside of the enclosure. Some existing enclosures for storage areas are merely constructed from panels that are not rigid enough to support items on top of the enclosure. Other existing enclosures do not allow tall or long items to be placed inside the enclosure or components of the enclosure to be swapped, folded, or removed to accommodate particularly large cargo. Further, some existing solutions attempt to provide additional structure, but these attempts further limit the space on the interior of the enclosure.
Accordingly, there is a need among enclosures for open-top vehicles to provide an enclosure system that is adaptable to fit different vehicle models and to accommodate various sized cargo, yet also secure from access from outside of the enclosure and strong enough to support heavy items on top of the enclosure.